Cigarette-collecting mechanism



April 27, 1965 G. F. PEMBROKE EI'AL CIGARETTE-COLLECTING MECHANISM 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 30, 1962 Iuvsmara 5 April 27, 1965 s. F.PEMBROKE EI'AL 3,180,067

CIGARETTE-COLLECTING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 30, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2United States Patent 3,180,067 CIGARETTE-CQLLECTHQG MECHANISM GeorgeFrederick Pembroke and James George Edward Hillman, London, England,assignors to Molins Machine Qompany Limited, London, England, a Britishcompany Filed Jan. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 169,781

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Feb. 8, 1961, 4,696/ 61 8Claims. (Cl. 53-148) This invention concerns improvements in or relatingto cigarette-collecting mechanism for collecting cigarettesautomatically into containers.

Containers used for collection of cigarettes in bulk are commonly knownas trays, and the word tray will be used herein, for convenience, asmeaning any suitable container in which cigarettes can be held instack-like arrangement.

It has previously been proposed to feed cigarettes downwardly into afixed receptacle, (e.g., to form a stack) and then to push thecigarettes in the direction of their axes (e.g., to push a stack ofcigarettes bodily) intoan adjacent tray which is open at the front,i.e., at the side facing the fixed receptacle. For this purpose it hasbeen proposed to use a tray having a back wall at the side of the trayremote from the recptacle, to provide'support for the cigarettes pushedinto the tray. Such a wall is referred to herein as a back wall, sinceit is located at the back of the tray considered in the direction inwhich cigarettes are pushed into the tray.

Trays are also known, and in commonuse, which are open at both sides(i.e., which have no back wall). Such a tray may consist only of endwalls and a base. For convenience such trays will be referred to hereinas open-sided trays.

According to the present invention there is providedcigarette-collecting mechanism, for use with open-sided trays (i.e.,trays having no back wall), in which cigarettes are pushed axially intoan open-side tray, and wherein there is provided a plate member arrangedto be moved into association with a tray to serve as a temporary backwall thereof, and means operative to move the plate member into suchassociation before filling of the tray commences, and to move it awayfrom the tray when the latter has been filled.

The plate member may be carried by carrier members mounted on a supportso as to be movable relative thereto, and so as to be capable of movingthe said plate member into and out of association with the tray. Thesaid support may be arranged to be moved up and down to raise and lowerthe tray, the said carrier members being arranged to move upwardly anddownwardly with the said support.

The said carrier members may be pivotally mounted on the said supportand arranged to be swung to move the said plate member into and out ofassociation with the tray, and the swinging movements of the saidcarrier members may be controlled by a cam surface extending along thepath of the said support as it moves upwardly and downwardly. There maybe provided a further cam Surface, e.g. on the said support, with whicha cam follower connected to the said plate member cooperates, so as toeffect control over movement of the said plate member relative to thesaid support.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which 7 FIGURE 1 is adiagrammatic plan View,

. whose ends are fixed to brackets 25 carried by a chain" FIGURE 2 is anenlarged plan view of part of FIG- URE 1, showing additional details,

FIGURE 3 is an end view, and

FIGURE 4 shows some of the mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 3, with partsin different positions.

In FIGURE 1, two cigarette-making machines are shown fragmentarily at 1and 2. Catcher bands 3 and 4 extend towards the right from the machine.1, and similar catcher bands 5 and 6 extend towards the left frommachine 2.

Cigarettes coming from the two machines are delivered in any suitableway on to the catcher bands 3, 4, 5 and 6, each of which carries arow ofcigarettes transversely t of their axes. 7 Between the ends of the bands3 and 5, and lengthwise in line-with them, is a receptacle 7 to receivecigarettes from the bands 3 and 5. A similar receptacle is locatedbetween the ends of the bands 4 and 6, the two receptacles being, asvshown, ofiset from each other lengthwise. Cigarettes are fed fromopposite directions by the pairs of bands, 3, 5," and 4, 6, into thereceptacles 7 and 8 respectively, and are supported therein and formstacks 9 and 10 (FIGURE 2) on a platform 11, FIGURES 2 and 3. Thisplatform isformed in two separate parts since the two receptacles aredivided by a vertical partition 12. The platform is arranged to begradually lowered downwardly through the receptacles 7 and 8, inthe'manner disclosed in United States patent specification No. 2,919,529and cigarettes fed into the receptacles form a stack in each receptacle.platform is near its lowermost position rows of needles 13 are projectedinto end faces of cigarettes to arrest downwardmovement of allcigarettes above a chosen level, and a support plate 14 is subsequentlymoved into the receptacles to support those cigarettes. The stacks ofcigarettes still supported on the platform 11 continue to movedownwardly untilthey reach the appropriate position from which they areto be transferred from the receptacles into a tray.

The arrangements whereby cigarettes are arrested and supported byneedles l3 and the plate 14 are similar to those disclosed in UnitedStates patent specification No. 2,919,529 referred to above, but in thepresent case the needle rows and the support plate are stepped asillustrated in FIGURE 2.

A pusher device comprising two pusher plates 15a and 15b is arranged tomove forwardly so that the plates 15a, 15b, which as seen in FIGURE 2are in line with each other, move through the receptacles 7 and 8respectively. The pusher plate ISa-first engages the stack. 9 and pushesit forwardly (i.e., axially of the cigarettes) until it is in line withthe stack 19, which is thereupon engaged by the pusher plate 15b and thetwo stacks are thereafter moved as a single stack across the platform 11and a bridge member 16 into the tray 17.

The pusher plates 15a and 15:; are mounted on bars 13 carried by across-piece 19, each end of which is fixed to a carriage 2% runningalong guide rods 21 on wheels 22. t t g The tray 17 is an open-sidedtray, and the mechanism includes a plate member 23 which can be movedinto position to serve as a temporary back well during the filling ofthe traywith cigarettes, to act as a support for the side of a stack ofcigarettes in the tray and also'as a stop to prevent cigarettes whichhave been pushed into the tray from continuing their forward movementand Patented Apr. 27, 1965' When the conveyor system .26, the bracketsbeing guided by guide rods 27 and wheels 28 on the brackets. Theconveyor system 26 is arranged to be operated so as to bring the tray totwo different filling levels whereby two successive batches or stacks ofcigarettes are pushed into the tray, one on top of the other.

The temporary back wall plate 23 is carried by the brackets in thefollowing manner.

One arm 29 of a bell crank lever pivoted at 30 to a bracket. 25 carriesa roller 31 which runs along a cam track 32 as the tray is raised andlowered by the convey: or system 26, the top end of the cam track 32being recessed at 33. The other arm 34- of the lever has a hooked end 35in which is supported a short rod 36 fixed to the plate 23. i

A roller 37, also fixed to the plate 23, runs along an other cam track38 formed as an extension of the bracket It will be understood thatmechanism as just described is provided in association with each of thebrackets 25.

In operation, an empty tray is placed in position as shown in FIGURE 4,and the conveyor system 26' is then operated to lower the trays to aposition at which its lower half is opposite the pushers 15a, 15b. 7

As the brackets travel downwardly the rollers 31move out of the recesses33 and thus turn the arms 34 about the pivots 30. "This causes the arms34 to swing downwardlyand towards the tray. The weight of the plate 23causes it to drop with the arms 34, and accordingly the rollers 37 moveto the right, FIGURES 3 and 4, over their cam tracks 38. These combinedmovements bring the plate into position within the tray to form atemporary back wall.

When the tray is in position, a stack of cigarettes is pushed into itfrom the receptacles 7 and 8, filling the lower half of the tray.Thebrackets 25 are then lowered to bring the tray to the position shownin FIGURE 3. When further stacks of cigarettes have been formed in thereceptacles =7 and 8, they are moved, as a single stack, by the pushersinto the upper half of the tray.

The filling of the tray having thus been completed, the conveyor systemoperates to move the tray upwards to the position shown in FIGURE 4. Asthe tray comes into this position, the rollers 31 enter the slots 33 andthe plate 23 is thus swung away from the tray, the rollers 37 alsoriding up and away from the tray over their cam tracks 38.

The bridge 16 is arranged to be moved prior to a filling operation, intoa position to bridge the gap between the platform 11 and the base of thetray. Associated with the bridge is a block 39 which simultaneouslymoves forwardly, and on the second filling operation this block engagestheside of the stack already in the tray (i.e., the end faces of thecigarettes) to ensure that the stack is kept in alignment during thefilling of the upper half of the tray.

It will be appreciated that the plate .23 may be interchangable withplates of diiference thicknesses so as to enable the mechanism to dealwith cigarettes of dilferent standard lengths. This makes. it possiblefor a standard tray, wide enough to accommodate the longest cigaretteslikely to be made, to be used for all sizes of cigarette, since thecigarettes can be centered in the tray by using a back plate 23 ofsuitable thickness, Alternatively the arms 34 could be interchangablewith arms of different length, or the rods 36 fixed to the plates 23could be ad-v j'ustable, or diiferent plates could have rods 36 spaceddifferent distances from the plates.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

l. Cigarette-collecting mechanism for use with opensided trays, in whichcigarettes are pushed axially into an open-sided tray, comprising aplate member arranged to be moved into association with a tray to serveas a temporary back wall thereof, carrier members by which the saidplate member is carried, a support on which the said carrier members aremounted so as to be movable relatively thereto and so as to be capableof moving the said plate member into and out of association with thetray, and means operative to move the plate member into such associationbefore filling of the tray commences, and to move it away from the traywhen the latter has been filled.

2.. Mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said support isarranged to be moved up and down to raise and lower the tray, the saidcarrier members being arranged to'move upwardly and downwardly with thesaid support.

3. Mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said carrier members arepivotally mounted on the said support and arranged to be swung to movethe said plate member into and out of association with the tray.

4. Mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein the said support is arrangedto be moved up and down to raise and lower the trays, and comprising acam surface extending along the path of the said support as it movesupwardly and downwardly to control the swinging movements of the saidcarrier members.

5. Mechanism as claimed in claim 4, comprising a further camsurface, anda cam follower connected to the said plate member which co-operates withthe further cam surface, so as to effect control over movement of thesaid plate member relative to the said support.

6. Cigarette-collecting mechanism for use with open sided trays, inwhich cigarettes are pushed axially into. an open sided tray, comprisinga movable support arranged to carry a tray to and away from a fillingposition, at

serve as a temporary back wall of the tray, and arranged to move withthe said support, and means operative to move the said plate memberrelatively to the said support into association with an empty traycarried by the said support as the latter is moved to the said fillingposition, at which the tray is filled, and out of association with thefilled tray as the support is moved away from the said filling position.

7. Cigarette-collecting mechanism for use with open sided trays, inwhich cigarettes are pushed axially into an open sided tray, comprisinga support arranged to be moved along a path between a first position, atwhich an empty tray can be received on the said support, and a fillingposition, at which cigarettes are pushed axially into the tray to fillthe latter, so as to convey the empty tray from the said first positionto the said' filling position, and to return the filled tray from thesaid filling position to the said first position, a plate memberconnected to the said support so as to be movable relatively thereto, so

as to be capable of moving into and out of association to the saidfilling position, and out of association with a filled tray as thesupport is moved from the said filling position to the said firstposition. a

8. Cigarette-collecting mechanism for use with open sided trays, inwhich cigarettes are pushed axially into an open sided tray, comprisinga support arranged to be moved up and down to raise and lower the tray,a carrier member pivotally mounted on the said support, a plate membercarried by the said carrier member so as to be movable relatively to thesaid support and arrangedto move upwardly and downwardly with the saidsupport, a cam surface extending along the path of the said support asit moves upwardly and downwardly, a cam fol 5 6 a lower connected to thesaid carrier member and arranged 7 References Cited by the Examiner tocooperate with the said cam surface to swing the said UNITED STATESPATENTS carrier member so as to move the said plate member into and outof association with the tray to serve as a 2,919,529 1/60 Hillman 53245X temporary back wall of the tray'as the support moves 5 2,938,317 5/60Hillman 53-148 along the said path, a further cam surface on the said3,004,374 10/61 Pembroke 53252 X support, and a cam follower connectedto the said plate member and arranged to cooperate with the said fur-FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner. ther cam surface to control movementof the plate mem- ROBERT A LEIGHEY BERNARD STICKNEY ber relatively tothe said support as the plate member 10 I Examiners is moved into andout of association with the tray.

6. CIGARETTE-COLLECTING MECHANISM FOR USE WITH OPEN SIDE TRAYS, IN WHICHCIGARETTES ARE PUSHED AXIALLY INTO AN OPEN SIDED TRAY, COMPRISING AMOVABLE SUPPORT ARRANGED TO CARRY A TRAY TO AND AWAY FROM A FILLINGPOSITION, AT WHICH CIGARETTES ARE PUSHED AXIALLY INTO THE TRAY, A PLATEMEMBER CONNECTED TO THE SAID SUPPORT SO AS TO BE MOVABLE RELATIVELYTHERETO, SO AS TO BE CAPABLE OF MOVING INTO AND OUT OF ASSOCIATION WITHA TRAY CARRIED BY THE SUPPORT TO SERVE AS A TEMPORARY BACK WALL OF THETRAY, AND ARRANGED TO MOVE WITH THE SAID SUPPORT, AND MEANS OPERATIVE TOMOVE THE SAID PLATE MEMBER RELATIVELY TO THE SAID SUPPORT INTOASSOCIATION WITH AN EMPTY TRAY CARRIED BY THE SAID SUPPORT AS THE LATTERIS MOVED TO THE SAID FILLING POSITION, AT WHICH THE TRAY IS FILLED, ANDOUT OF ASSOCIATION WITH THE FILLED TRAY AS THE SUPPORT IS MOVED AWAYFROM THE SAID FILLING POSITION.